South East Melbourne crew, and global rap phenoms HP Boyz have just announced their first ever project titled 6 To The World.
Coming out of Hampton Park, the popular rappers have taken the world by storm with their recent hits including Engineers, which has amassed 14 million Spotify streams and Bad N Bouj which now sits on just over 4 million views on YouTube. Their single Blueprint landed in the Top 10 tracks for YouTubes ‘Australia’s Top Trending Music Videos from Australian Artists’ list for 2019.
The HP Boyz aim to continue their success with their upcoming project due to release on the 8th of May. The new project, 6 To The World features 6 tracks, including Enemies, Get 2 The Bag and Out Here which features the amazing vocals of Keziah, the only collaboration on the project.
A number of snippets have been shared via Instagram and from all accounts the project is going to be an instant classic. Rumours have it that we will soon see a brand new video clip from the project, expect that soon. 6 To The World dropping 08.05.2020!
Tracklist: 1. Enemies 2. Out Here feat. Keziah 3. Get 2 The Bag 4. Eenie Meenie 5. Block Party 6. 6 To The World
Sampa The Great and Ivan Ooze Feature on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 Soundtracks
Electronic Arts Inc., recently unveiled the official EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 soundtrack that includes new music from Major Lazer, which is featured in the all-new VOLTA FOOTBALL* mode inspired by the culture of street football from around the globe.
The music of FIFA 20 brings together both emerging and globally-acclaimed artists to create a diverse tracklist featuring Grammy-award winner Diplo’s global dance music trio Major Lazer, rising star Anderson .Paak, world-renowned electronic music duo Disclosure and one of dance music’s pioneering forces Don Diablo. The complete FIFA 20 soundtrack is available on Spotify, Apple and Deezer now.
The EA SPORTS FIFA soundtracks have become culture,” said Steve Schnur, President of Music, Electronic Arts. “For the first time in franchise history, we’ve curated two separate soundtracks for the game featuring an unprecedented 110+ tracks representing more than 20 countries. The roster of artists not only captures the global spirit of the game from the stadiums to the streets but elevates it like never before”.
Major Lazer contributed to the VOLTA FOOTBALL soundtrack with their newly released song ‘Que Calor’ that also features J.Balvin and El Alfa. The lead track for the mode was influenced by the culture and lifestyle of street football and its various forms of play around the world.
“We were really excited to be able to produce the lead track that is featured in the new VOLTA FOOTBALL mode, said Diplo. “When we shared an early version of the track with the EA SPORTS FIFA team, they loved it, so we knew we had to finish it and release it as a single. Bringing on Balvin and El Alfa let us take the track to another level and we can’t wait for fans all over the world to hear it.”
Fans eager to get their hands-on FIFA 20 early can get in on the action with the free demo now available on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC. In the demo, fans can preview the brand-new VOLTA FOOTBALL game mode, an all-new experience in EA SPORTS FIFA 20 inspired by the small-sided form of football played in the streets, cages and futsal courts across the world. Additionally, fans can experience a UEFA Champions League match in the 11v11 Kick-Off mode.
Jump into the game first on September 19, 2019 with EA Access** and Origin™ Access** Basic to enjoy up to 10 hours of playtime as part of the Play First Trial or sign-up for Origin Access Premier to get full access on PC to the FIFA 20 Ultimate Edition. FIFA 20 is developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and will be available worldwide on September 27, 2019 for PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and PC. Join the EA SPORTS FIFA community at Facebook and on Instagram, or follow us on Twitter @EASPORTSFIFAANZ.
Sampa the Great announces her debut album ‘The Return’ along with brand new single and video “OMG”.
“OMG” follows the recently released single “Final Form”, which was hailed as Zane Lowe’s ‘World Record’ and received incredible support from the likes of The Guardian, OkayAfrica, The Independent, Clash, gal-dem and many more. It was also the #1 Most Played track on Triple J the week of release, and was championed by Ebro Darden (Beats 1 / Hot 97), Annie Mac, Mistajam & DJ Target (Radio 1), Gilles Peterson & Lauren Laverne (6 Music), Jason Kramer & Anthony Valadez (KCRW), John Richards, Larry Rose & Atticus (KEXP), and more and more.
On ‘The Return’ Sampa has enlisted a string of esteemed collaborators and peers to create the album. Mixed by Jonwayne (of Stones Throw notoriety), MsM (Skepta/Boy Better Know) and Andrei Eremin (GRAMMY-nominated engineer for Hiatus Kaiyote and Chet Faker), productions are by Silentjay, Slowthai producer Kwes Darko, Clever Austin (Perrin Moss of Hiatus Kiayote), Blue Lab Beats and Syreniscreamy. The album also features collaborations with Ecca Vandal and London jazz collective Steam Down. Many of them are the fruits of the network Sampa has built since first making waves in 2015 – following time spent studying in San Francisco and LA – as a new arrival in Sydney’s hip-hop and jazz freestyle nights. Since then, she’s performed with Denzel Curry on his breakout track “Black Balloons” for Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’, and toured globally, supporting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Thundercat, Joey Bada$$, Hiatus Kaiyote, Noname, Ibeyi and Little Simz.
Built on four years of personal and musical soul-searching, ‘The Return’ is an assured statement, the product of meaningful musical connections and of Sampa having to redefine her self-identity away from the comforts of family and old friends. With reference points ranging from classic hip-hop to ancient Southern African sounds, the album sees Sampa tackle bigger questions, exploring what it means to feel at home, to feel excluded, and to see someone as an outsider. It stems from the rift Sampa has experienced in the rise of her career, where she’s celebrated as part of a new generation of musicians – with her last mixtape ‘Birds and the BEE9’ winning the prestigious Australian Music Prize in 2017 (she shares nominations with the likes of Tame Impala, Jordan Rakei, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and previous winner Courney Barnett) – while at the same time still being seen as an ‘other’.
On “OMG”, she addresses ideas of ‘home’ through the exploration of her African heritage: “I personally feel that people on the continent have a duty to our family in the diaspora, to re-teach our culture, language, spirituality, ways and return our peeps to ourselves,” she explains. “To me ‘OMG’ sounds like the songs we heard in our childhood. It’s broadly about flexing your culture! Loving where you’re from and even being shocked at the realisation of not knowing how dope it is to be ‘who you are’.”
The video was shot between South Africa and Botswana, where she was raised and gave Sampa the chance to involve her parents in her world. “I got to do something that I’ve never done before,” she says. “Which is to have my parents in one of my music videos. This is the first time they have been involved in my music at this level and it was important for me to express accepting and flexing my culture with the two people who know me most!”
This, for Sampa, is what she’s been trying to do for the past six years: to find new ways of feeling at home and rediscover an emboldened idea of herself. “Home is described in a lot of ways and means a lot of different things to different people,” she says. “I had to redefine in my mind and in my spirit what home means.” The album is both a re-telling of that journey, and the realisation of her aim; the album walks us through that return to home, while the accomplished sound and lyricism underscores the steps she’s made as a person and artist.
Following recent live performances at Glastonbury, Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Dark MOFO (Tasmania – alongside FKA Twigs, Kelsey Lu, Nicholas Jaar), Down The Rabbit Hole (Netherlands) and a headline show at Hip-Hop Collection (Paris) – Sampa plays alongside Sons Of Kemet at Somerset House on July 13th, before joining Burna Boy – recent recipient of the BET Best International Act award – in New York’s Prospect Park on July 19th plus headline solo shows at Elsewhere in Brooklyn on July 18th and Gold Diggers in LA on July 22nd. She returns to the EU in November for a headline tour that includes XOYO in London, as well as stops in Manchester, Bristol, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and more.
REMI’s sophomore LP Divas and Demons was independently released through REMI’s own label imprint House of Beige Records, soon nominated for an ARIA Award and given 4.5 out of 5 stars labelled “A landmark release” by Rolling Stone Australia. The Triple J Featured Album included the widely loved singles “For Good” featuring Sampa The Great, “Substance Therapy”, and “Lose Sleep” featuring Jordan Rakei, and became the duo’s first official ARIA Top 10 record.2018 saw their most recent single release “My People” featuring Thando arrive, a celebration of those closest to them that was again showered in praise from Triple J and earned them the place of Independent Artist of the Week on FBi Radio. Remi also released the highly acclaimed, collaborative EP Black Hole Sun with New Zealand based MC Raiza Biza and Detroit producer visionary Black Milk, all mixed by Sensible J.
Remi’s effortless flow on “5.A.M” sways in precise time to Sensible J’s organic and world-class production, the synonymous makings of a REMI release, multi-layered in both meaning and musicality. Crossing between punctuated raps and satin-like vocals from Remi, J follows with rolling percussion that crescendos to old-school R&B choruses featuring Whosane.
“More than ever I’ve been using music to sort through and let go. I wrote 5 A.M. when I was locked in the house for a couple of days with the flu. I guess I was trying to get all the shit out of my body or something because my mind wandered to a toxic past relationship and I just needed to write about it. I hadn’t dealt with many parts of it, so there was a lot of real-time processing and redrafting before I could properly articulate the whole situation.
Sensible J, with the help of Silent J (not to be confused), had already created the perfect beat-scape for me to vent over. However, when I’d finished writing, I felt like we needed some different energy. My brother Whosane has always been one of my favourite people to work with. I love how his mind works in creative settings and I love his voice even more.
One of my favourite albums growing up was Tha Eastsidaz record presented by Snoop Dogg. I loved how people would just come in and out randomly, creating hooks inside of verses and bringing different styles to keep the music moving. That was the intention behind getting him in. He only features for 8bars but his presence is felt HEAVILY. (Many thanks to Silent J for completely flipping there beat for him!!)”
Renowned for heavy bars, razor flows and pine point delivery Talakai is at the forefront of the Australian Grime scene. After touring late 2017 off the back of the “Get Bodied” viral video series Talakai has been on the come up, playing sold out shows around the country and making cheeky appearances on triple J’s Hip Hop show.
Far from the young kid coming up locally in the Newcastle scene Talakai has taken the movement nationally, oozing bravado and lyricism to rival the countries best. Gearing up for a huge 2019, Talakai sets his sights on the top with his debut EP in the works.
‘Me You Them Us’ is the accumulative flex that has been 10 years in the making. “The track started as a dissection of the world universe, u-verse, i-verse, us verse and that formed the basis for the hook. We were going to sit on this but the crowd reaction when I played it on tour with Chill was f***ing mental.”
Fresh from his dynamic set at Melbourne’s Reclink Community Cup and as part of NAIDOC week appearances on TV program’s Playschool (ABC) and Insight (SBS), Baker Boy today drops a brand-new video for his single ‘In Control’.
Directed by Onil Kotian, whose previous works include videos for Angus & Julia Stone (‘Snow’, ‘Cedar Door’), the clip was shot at the PCYC in North Sydney and features a crew of energetic young dancers, handpicked by the director and Danzal Baker aka Baker Boy.
Baker Boy says about the video, “It was so much fun getting the kids involved in the video, they were all crazy talented dancers, blew me away!
For me, it was such an obvious choice to have kids and a mini-me lead the video to really marry the concept of the song to the visual. Also connecting the kids of T.I.M.E in the chorus back to the video as well!
I wanted to give some kids out there an opportunity I didn’t have growing up as well – you never know this opportunity could lead to really big things for one of those kids or even inspire other kids out there to get involved, believe in themselves and put themselves out there to be chosen for an opportunity like this. No matter young or old, you are in control of your future!”
‘In Control’ was co-written with award-winning writer/producer and multi-instrumentalist Pip Norman (Troye Sivan, Tuka, CXLOE). Rapping in his native language Yolngu Matha, the track was premiered on triple j and features the T.I.M.E (Thornbury Instrumental Music Experience) Crew of Thornbury Primary.
The song was instantly added to triple j and major community radio influencers FBi, 4ZZZ and Radio Adelaide as well as playlists; Spotify’s Front Left, Indie Arrivals and The Drip and Apple Music’s Heaps Indie and The New Australia. ‘In Control’ has also been championed by influential music media in Australia such as Happy Mag, Red Bull Australia, Pilerats, Tone Deaf, The Music and Music Feeds to name but a few.
Baker Boy will be performing at the Yours & Owls All -Ages Festival in Wollongong on Saturday, October 5th and a free performance at the Palmy Street Party on Saturday, July 20, celebrating Youth Week in Palmerston N.T. (include all Festivals)
POSSESHOT is a Melbourne based Hip Hop street label focusing on culture, art, truth and heart. Featuring the talents of Mr Muscles on the mic and Kharni on the beat, Posseshot released their first official release back in August of 2017 but they have been on the grind as Posseshot since 2011.
The release, titled PS1, featured Tornts, Alex Jones, and Diem with guest production from JUVE. Fast forward to 2019 where we have been treated to the release of the Posseshot Expansion Pack (PSX). This release capitalised on the buzz they crew established from PS1, pushing their outfit to new heights.
Having recently featured on the newest episode of the Beers Beats & The Biz podcast, Kharni and Mr Muscles gear up to drop their next project, PS2. The first taste from that album is out now and is titled Blood In, Blood Out.
“They said I’m like Trem Cause I’m fucking ill with the beats and the pen and my letters still connect”
Blood In, Blood Out is a dusty sample laden concoction that echos sounds reminiscent of the Melbourne underground. Kharni channelled it all on this one in as Mr Muscles levels up with a steezy, no’ fucks given approach to his verse. If this is any indication to what the rest of the album holds we are all in for a treat.
The rise of Sampa the Great has been spectacular to watch, having accumulated over 33 million streams collectively since her 2015 breakout, The Great Mixtape. Her second mixtape Birds And The BEE9 won the Australian Music Prize as Best Album Of 2017. Sampa capped off 2018 with her single “Energy”, which premiered via Zane Lowe’s show on Apple Music’s Beats 1, with the accompanying video hitting around 1.2M YouTube views to date.
Entertaining audiences across the globe, Sampa has won a wave of adoring fans with her live shows, performing across the country’s most iconic festivals, including Laneway Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Golden Plains, Sugar Mountain, Womadelaide, Vivid Live & more. Sampa recently returned home, performing her first African shows in Swaziland, Zambia and Johannesburg, before heading to Hobart this June for the iconic Dark Mofo festival and world-renowned Glastonbury festival in the UK. Keeping in the company of greatness, she has supported the biggest names in music including Kendrick Lamar, Ms Lauryn Hill, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Ibeyi and Little Simz.
Straight off the bat with an all-consuming sound, “Final Form” is a lesson in hip-hop. An ode to her Zambian heritage, Sampa declares her greatness, with a unique sound that has become synonymous with Sampa The Great. Produced by Silentjay and mixed by Jonwayne, the new single sees Sampa take final form with her most impactful release to date.
‘Final Form’, is a triumphant single that sees the MC embrace the struggle of growing as an artist. Having just been named Zane Lowe’s World Record, ‘Final Form’ is Sampa’s first new music for 2019 and sees her fiercely delivered lyrics entangled with a warm, tightly wound beat.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the constant chatter around you about how ‘you are not there yet’, how you ‘might not make it’” Sampa says. “Final Form is about expanding yourself and calling out any negativity towards that growth process. As an artist I now recognise my in-between stage; sometimes it drops and sometimes it rises, but I love that I get to level up each second. I might even final form tomorrow.”
The ‘Final Form’ official video sees Sampa travel back to Zambia to explore the traditions and communities of her roots. Bridging the gap between the traditional worlds of Nyau dancers and modern Zambian youth culture, it was filmed in the run-up to her first ever shows on African soil, including her recent homecoming show in Zambia. “The video was inspired by the belief of having a spiritual exodus back to yourself.” Says Sampa. “We often as black people in the diaspora talk about the physical return to our roots but not so often about the spiritual.
‘Final form’ is meant to start that conversation. It was important for me to do this video in Zambia, the place of my birth and where I’m from, because if I am truly to become the greatest version of myself, I am going to start at the most me I’ve ever been, which is where I started from, where I grew up! I was born and raised between Zambia and Botswana. By a Bemba mother and Tumbuka father and to erase that by calling me anything but Zambian/African, is to erase my history, culture and essence. Everything I was born from.”
Having previously performed worldwide supporting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Thundercat, Joey Bada$$, Hiatus Kaiyote, Noname, Ibeyi and Little Simz, in 2019 Sampa is set to play live at Glastonbury, Love Supreme Jazz Festival and with Sons Of Kemet at Somerset House in the UK, before performing alongside Burna Boy in New York’s Prospect Park on 19th July, with additional shows at Dark MOFO (Tasmania – alongside FKA Twigs, Kelsey Lu, Nicholas Jaar), Down The Rabbit Hole (Netherlands) and headlining Hip-Hop Collection (Paris) with more TBA.
Channelling his now trademark street-gospel sound ‘Housing Trust’ – an ode to Eagle’s hometown of Adelaide – is an upbeat yet reflective track which sees Adrian juxtapose a troubled upbringing and struggling family life against the opportunities now afforded to him as an artist.
Co-written and produced by long-time collaborator Jerome Farah (the architect behind Kian’s debut single ‘Waiting’), ‘Housing Trust’ features Adrian’s signature soulful vocals alongside vibrant organs and hip-hop true percussion.
“I had the original hook in my head about 4 years ago when I first started back writing and recording voice notes. I was originally rapping it over Snoop Dogg’s “Gin & Juice” – when I got back in the studio with Jerome last year, I sang him the hook and he hears my melodies perfectly so he laid down the chords instantly. It all paired together like magic, as usual with Jerome. What is wild is I wrote down that ARIA line long before it even happened.”
“Housing Trust is about celebrating life and how far the process has taken me around the world and back. Unchaining myself from many years of dark years in those housing trust to also remaining strong in the same values and intentions as I’ve always had. Thankful reminder.”
A busy end to 2019 will see Adrian take ‘Housing Trust’ on the road, notably to Rod Laver Arena on August 9th in support of Hilltop Hoods, before touring with rising star Tones and I on her national EP tour in September and finishing on a whirlwind 21 date tour of North America with Hilltop Hoods in November and December!
ADRIAN EAGLE – LIVE
Friday, July 19th – NGV Fridays at National Gallery Of Victoria, Melbourne
Thursday, 8th August – Darwin Festival, Darwin
Friday 9th August – w/ Hilltop Hoods at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Saturday 17th August – Mackay BBQ & Beer Festival, Mackay
Adrian Eagle supporting – Tones and I ‘EP Tour’ – Australia
Friday 13 September – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide [SOLD OUT]
Saturday 14 September – Rosemount Hotel, Fremantle [SOLD OUT]
Sunday 15 September – Rosemount Hotel, Fremantle [SOLD OUT]
Tuesday 17 September – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Wednesday 18 September – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne [SOLD OUT]
Thursday 19 September – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne [SOLD OUT]
Friday 27 September – UOW UniBar, Wollongong
Saturday 28 September – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney [SOLD OUT]
Sunday 29 September – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Friday 4 October – SolBar, Maroochydore [SOLD OUT]
Saturday 5 October – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast [SOLD OUT]
Sunday 6 October – The Triffid, Brisbane [SOLD OUT]
Monday 7 October – The Zoo, Brisbane [SOLD OUT]
Friday 11 October – The Northern, Byron Bay
Adrian Eagle supporting – Hilltop Hoods ‘Great Expanse Tour’ – North America
Friday, 8 November – Music Box, San Diego, CA
Saturday 9 November – The Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Sunday 10 November – The Independent, San Fransisco, CA
Tuesday 12 November – Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
Thursday 14 November – Middle East Downstairs, Boston, MA
Friday 15 November – The Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Saturday 16 November – Subterranean, Chicago, IL
Sunday 17 November – Cervantes, Denver, CO
Tuesday, 19 November – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR
Wednesday 20 November – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
Thursday 21 November – Distrikt, Victoria BC
Friday 29 November – The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC
Saturday 30 November – The Gateway, Calgary AB
Sunday 1 December – Coors Event Centre, Saskatoon SK
Wednesday 4 December – Le Belmont, Montreal QC
Thursday 5 December – Barrymores, Ottawa, ON
Friday 6 December – The Opera House, Toronto, ON
Saturday 7 December – Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins, CO
Sunday 8 December – The Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City
Thursday 12 December – The Republik, Honolulu, HI
ahhh: You’ve been working hard in the scene for at least 3 years now, you released an LP titled To Be Crowned way back in 2016. How do you look back on that release 3 years on? Do you think your style has evolved over that period?
MC Raj: Yeah bro, ‘To Be Crowned’ was the first lil’ project I put out and my first attempt at getting my music out there. I’m not gonna lie, when I look back at that LP I still think some of the lyrics are some of my best. Some. Definitely not all of them aha. I was really just getting into writing properly when I dropped that, at the time I was trying to find my sound and what style suited me best.
The point of that LP was to show off my versatility from Boom Bap to Grime and Trap. I’ve definitely come a long way since then and personally feel like I have found what styles and sounds suit my flows. That LP is nothing compared to the album I got coming soon.
ahhh: In 2017 you backed it up and released Catch Me If You Can, tell us a bit about that album and what you were trying to achieve by releasing that album? There seemed to be some big boom bap influences on that album
MC Raj: Ayy you have done your research, legend. ‘Catch Me If You Can’ I started working on as soon as I had finished writing the last song from the LP before. I was really tryna get my foot in the door of the Aussie hip-hop scene with this one, tryna make myself recognised. But still staying true to my roots. I started off just freestyling to boom bap beats before I put my pen to pad, so boom bap for me is something that comes easy and sort of just flows because of that.
While I did use boom bap beats for a lot of the songs, I tried to test myself and see how much I could change the flow schemes or speed during these tracks, instead of sticking to the usual bar for bar flow that I used to come with. Ummm, my main influence would just be day to day living my bro. I mean my day to day is probably very different to the average person… but that’s what makes it special in a verse I guess. The ups in life and the downs especially are what helps me write and come up with concepts. At the end of the day, I’m doing this for me, the shit is like therapy. If people like it that’s a bonus.
ahhh: 2018 seemed like a massive year for yourself as a rapper. You didn’t release an album but it felt like you used the year to build a lot of connections and really give yourself a platform to take over in 2019. Would you agree with that?
MC Raj: Yeah brother. 2018 was massive. Mitchos Da Menace, my big brother dropped me into MenaceGvng at the start of 2018 and that turned my life around in terms of Music and the scene in general. I started doing shows with him, backing him up, and doing a couple of my own songs too.
It was really a fuckin massive year bro, from losing friends and family, couch surfing wherever I could, doing dirt that I never saw myself doing to meeting some of the biggest rappers in Australia and some of my biggest inspirations when it comes to writing. 2018 was the worst and best year of my life, real talk. I’ll only ever say I really got into the scene in 2018, before that I was just going on live freestyling and filming off my iPhone doing verses for the people. Besides a few one takes with OneLove. My intention was to drop this Album that I’m about to drop ‘8EEN’ in 2018. Things didn’t go all to plan there, but it has been finished for ages, just have to sort out the bizzo side of things.
aahh: 2019 has continued in pretty much the same fashion as 2018 and you’ve dropped some big tracks such as Real Talk (Rajmix) with BodyBag Media and of course 201MG-RAJXDB which was massive with DB. Why do you think the track with DB connected so well with ya fans and what was the motivation behind that track?
Mc Raj: 2019 kicked off insane. I had a couple lil’ shows with all my 201 and Sickwad brothers in gong. I started seeing a lot more of them towards the end of 2018 and onward. 201MG featuring DB was a sick start to the year, I don’t think either of us was expecting the love that was gonna come from the release of that track.
DB is my brother, love the kent to bits, we had been speaking about doing a track together for ages. One night at Svlty’s house we were pretty deep in a seshpit and just found a beat and got to it. Both of us finished our verses within an hour and got straight to recording it that night. I’m gonna be doing a whole lot of tracks with DB in the future, maybe even a joint LP. Both of us are fairly like-minded and we both fuck with each other’s sounds and flows. I think that song worked so well in particular because we were both writing it next to each other (we was probably just as high as each other too) and we were both on some ignorant mood the whole night. Worked out well. Shoutout DB and Svlty.
aahh: One of the first live shows we heard you were involved was put on by Fortay. I believe it’s where you met Mitchos Da Menace. How did that show change your trajectory as an artist?
MC Raj: Yeah lad, it was a show in Newcastle hosted by TKO and it had artists like Fortay, Kearve, Mitchos, TKO, T-Wreckz and the Sub C lads. Myself and Menace had seen each other around before this, but It was the first time we sort of got to know each other. That show was a big one for me, I’d never done a proper set before too start off with, let alone with Artists I listened to frequently like Menace and Fort. After that show I really picked up my shit, I never realised how important stage presence was until then. I’ve been working on that ever since.
I rep Menace Gvng first off and 201 for sure bruz. Menace had been seeing me on facebook with those iPhone clips and the OneTakes with onelovecreations. One time I was on live just freestyling and he was watching me go, he just commented something like ‘Bruzz, come join MG… we can turn you into a weapon‘. I took that opportunity and didn’t look back, and Menace has done exactly what he said he would. I got into 201 by kickin’ back with a lot of the lads in it, especially Huskii. I met Huskii at the start of 2018, and throughout 2018 I ended up doing a lot of his backups at shows we would bump into each other at, the first one being in Melbourne. After that, If we were at a show and he was one outs on stage, I would be up there with him doing his backups and geeing up the crowd. MG201 is a problem, trust me.
aahh: We couldn’t have an interview with you without mentioning King Huskii, what kind of influence do you think Huskii has had on the local scene and on yourself as an artist?
MC Raj: Huskii brought something to the scene that no one had ever really seen, heard or done. Like Mitchos did with his aggressive, ignorant and intricate bars. Huskii was really on some different shit, from the moment I heard his stuff back in late 2016-2017 I became obsessed, I related and felt it on a whole different level. His bars and songs either made me want to crawl up and hug myself or go out and go back to my old ways… you know how that goes. He has impacted the scene majorly, anyone who doubts that is doubting themselves. Facts.
He influenced me a lot more then he might think, after hearing his songs I felt like I didn’t need to hold back on any of the stuff I had been suppressing. Gave me a boost in confidence, real talk before I was with 201 I was like a fanboy, minus the fantasies, same goes for Menacegvng. But yeah bro, Huskii has impacted me greatly, when I was kicked out and was surfing couch to couch, his music is one of the only things that kept me going. I couldn’t even rest properly unless I was pumping his tracks. I never would have thought I’d be backing him up on stage and become close with him. Same goes for Mitchos.
aahh: You were involved in one of the biggest clips of 2018 in ChillinIt’s Wish You Well Part 2 (It’s A Vibe) what was that day like?
MC Raj: Hahaha far out bra that day was loose. To this day It was still the best day I’ve had filming a music video, to be honest halfway through it I had sooo much VB I’d almost forgotten we were filming a music video. It just felt I was getting smashed with the lads hahaha. But oath brother, It definitely is one of the biggest music videos that has come outta Australia. Chill is doing his thing bro, good on him for getting to where he is at.
aahh: You’ve been a part of some huge shows of late. Tell us do you have any tips on surviving tour life? We know shit can get hectic pretty quickly
MC Raj: Thanks my bra, legend. Touring around can be pretty hectic at times, I still haven’t seen a few States here, but no doubt about it, I will end up performing in all major cities soon enough. But yeah bro, from what I have seen for myself and for others, touring can either be really great or really baddd. If I had any advice for it, go get it, do what you need to do and for your own sake, don’t get fucked up before the shows, save that for after. I’ve seen too many artists slip up and even seen an artist who couldn’t perform his set anymore due to the fact he was so munted.
Even with the afters… don’t go too hard. I’ve made that mistake myself too many times and just been completely worn out for the following week. If you have consecutive shows, the after celebrations of each show could be your demise. Facts.
aahh: If you want to achieve one thing in 2019 what would that be?
MC Raj: Greatness brother, I want to be able to say I feel accomplished for what I’ve done this year. I’ve never really been able to say that for myself. So that would definitely be the main ambition. In terms of music bro, I need to drop this album ‘8EEN’ and a few single tracks with features like Mitchos, DB, Svlty, Tryl, Rops… too many to mention bruz. I’m going to be releasing two projects this year g. I’m already 5 tracks into the next project I’m working on. I’ve been silent for a reason, these two drops will change everyone’s perspective on me and that is guaranteed.
aahh: A lot of artists aim to go international, is that something you think about? Do you think it’s realistic for an underground artist in Australia to do so or do you think it’s only really possible for those who have support from a major label?
MC Raj: Yeah brother that’s the plan, I wanna be able to go to the States with MG and the 201 lads. Once America sees all the talent we have down here, trust me, they will be shocked. They have been sleeping on us. Facts. It is seeming like it is more and more possible to be able to get heard over their and that is sick! We just need to get the right artists their and show them what’s up. I can 100% see myself and the lads rocking stages in the states and travelling, that would be dope as fuck. But if anyone thinks they can make it to the states before making it in their own country, let’s face it, they be dreaming. It’s a long rough road that I’m willing to walk to get there. It won’t be easy. But MenaceGvng is always keen for the competition.
In my opinion, It doesn’t matter if the artist is underground or not, if they have the hustle and grind, anyone can become bigger and better. I do think having a Major label is significant, which is sad because some of the signed artists I know, don’t work nearly as hard as the majority of the underground rappers. But yeah bro, if you’re on the grind and have that vision, anything is possible. I mean look at half of these mumble rapping fellas, in my opinion, some of the major ones are trash, I can’t understand a single fuckin word in their songs except lean and xans, but that doesn’t matter because they had the grind to get themselves where they at. It’s possible.
